Over 500 Broward teachers will be back in the classroom for the fall term, since the federal $26 billion stimulus package got the green light from the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Aug. 10.

Broward expects to get about $54 million of the $10 billion allotted for education, allowing not only the rehiring of laid-off teachers, but secretaries, bus drivers, maintenance workers and custodians.

The education portion of the fund will be divvied up among different states and should secure some 100,000 jobs across the nation.

Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter said he had already rehired over 344 teachers of math and English, as well as other core subjects and expects to use the federal money to rehire over 200 more teachers and an additional 500 support staff.

Pat Santeramo, Broward Teacher’s Union President, in an email statement, said the union’s top priority was to ensure that Broward schools get the new funds swiftly and the money is used to prevent further layoffs.

Though teachers, whose jobs were on the line, see this as a victory, Republicans vehemently oppose the measure, calling it another government bailout.

Some 555 teachers were laid off earlier this summer, along with over 700 other school system workers.